Tae Kwon Do

[-N-]

IMO, Olympic TKD has been unwatchable for many years now.

Evolved and tested in competition, lol.

Someone should link that article to the TCMA Survival thread.

[GeneChing]

... I just can't get past the title "WTF Brain Trust Huddles...."

Game Changers: WTF Brain Trust Huddles in Seoul to Upgrade Taekwondo Before Tokyo 2020



SEOUL, Korea (October 17, 2016) – How to upgrade the game? This is arguably the biggest question facing taekwondo as it enters the long cycle of preparation for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.

Fortunately, there are precedents, as, for much of its history, the WTF has been introducing changes and innovations.

Following the 2008 Beijing Olympics – plagued by controversies over scoring and refereeing – the sport’s future on the Olympic program was in jeopardy. The WTF instituted a reform drive. The mission was clear: Improve the transparency and fairness of the game.

The key breakthrough to realize this was the introduction of the electronic protector and scoring system (PSS). The PSS makes all points scored immediately visible to the crowd, while obviating human error in judging. Referee training and education was massively upgraded and the Instant Video Replay system was introduced. Thanks to these developments, taekwondo was controversy-free in London 2012 and Rio 2016 and is now a firm fixture on the Summer Games program.

But there have been drawbacks. The PSS – like all technologies – is imperfect. It has also altered the way the game is played: With the power component removed, taekwondo has gone from knockout mode to point-scoring mode. This has resulted in a cleft between “old school” taekwondo – the powerhouse contact sport of the past – and “new school” taekwondo – the modern, tactical game, which prioritizes front foot kicks and favors tall, skinny players.

Even many exponents of “new school” saw they prefer “old school” techniques and fighters, who tend to be head-hunters and spin-kickers. But “new school” dominates the medal tables. Even elite exponents of “old school” taekwondo – who include some of the most crowd-pleasing fighters in the game, such as Moldova’s Aaron Cook and Turkey’s Servet Tazegul – find it hard to win with traditional fighting style in the current rules and gear.

This is not to say that Rio was dull: In fact, there were some classic finals – such as the Jordan’s Ahmad Abughaush versus Russia’s Alexey Denisenko and Great Britain’s Jade Jones vs. Spain’s Eva Calvo Gomez – and incredible crowd support. But with the 2016 Games over, a four-year window of opportunity has opened for the WTF to make changes and re-inject spectacle back into the game. The aim is for taekwondo at Tokyo 2020 to be not only fair and transparent, but also to dazzle and excite.

If that happens, it will open the way for taekwondo to be not just the hugely successful participation sport which it is – the WTF has 80 million members globally – but also a global spectator sport. Once crowds increase, global media will get into the action and elite fighters and teams will benefit from enriched sponsorship opportunities.

So, there is much at stake. The game-changing process gets underway when the WTF invites its top coaches and executives to a five-day brainstorm in Seoul on Oct. 17th.

“The Rio Olympics was a continuation of transparent and successful taekwondo competition from London 2012 and we need to prepare for the coming Tokyo 2020. In order to make a better sport, it is very important to hear opinions from you in order to make the best game,” said WTF President Chungwon Choue in the opening speech.

From Oct. 17th-21st the first-ever WTF Coach Seminar will take place, with 30 top coaches invited from around the world. “The coaches can ask questions of the WTF on the policy side – this is the first time we have given them a platform to speak for themselves,” said WTF Director General Jin-bang Yang. “The WTF expects more of these opportunities, so coaches will have more chance to influence policy – especially Competition Rules, championship management, and ranking and qualification policy.”

The coaching seminar will be one component of the WTF Coach Forum, which will take place at the same time and same location, with members of the WTF Technical Committee giving presentations and holding dialogs with the coaches. Changes will be discussed in four categories: competition rules; systems (such as rankings and qualification); image of the game (such as uniform designs and sport presentation); and PSS. “Those are the main areas of business,” said Yang. “Changes to rules and systems are things we can change in a short time, so we will concentrate on discussing these two. The other things will take more time.”

On Oct 20th, having exchanged ideas and elicited feedback from the coaches, the Technical Committee will present proposed changes to top-level WTF executives – the organization’s president, secretary general, director generals and Continental Union presidents. The ideas that both parties – the technical committee and the executive team– agree upon will be presented to the WTF General Assembly in Burnaby, Canada in November, on the sidelines of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships.

Those changes voted in will be applied at WTF championships from 2017. For more on how these important developments unfold – watch this space.

[mawali]

I was reading something recently on the World Taekwondo Federation ( W T F) and the word is out to "change" the designation due to some obvious acronym affiliation

[mickey]

I was reading something recently on the World Taekwondo Federation ( W T F) and the word is out to "change" the designation due to some obvious acronym affiliation

Bravissimo!

mickey

[Jimbo]

I was reading something recently on the World Taekwondo Federation ( W T F) and the word is out to "change" the designation due to some obvious acronym affiliation

After watching some of the TKD from the London and Rio Olympics, they should probably keep the federation name, because the acronym is quite apropos.

[boxerbilly]

After watching some of the TKD from the London and Rio Olympics, they should probably keep the federation name, because the acronym is quite apropos.

LOL. I agree.

ITF !

[GeneChing]

There's this whole other championship that happens at Tiger Claw Elite Championships for Taekwondo.

[Jimbo]

I was browsing at a Barnes & Noble, and in the June/July issue of Black Belt magazine, with Bruce Lee in the cover, is a reprint of an article from November 1968 titled Roar of the Tiger, about the S. Korean Tiger Division in Vietnam. It's long been known they were some true bad@sses and greatly feared among the VC, Taekwondo being only one of those reasons.

On page 65 is a group photo, and the man standing 3rd from the right (and not named) is none other than Hwang Jang Lee, who later starred in innumerable kung fu movies (usually as the villain), including, most famously, with Jackie Chan in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master. Black Belt magazine did a feature article on Hwang back in 1983 which mentioned his Tiger Division (and movie) experiences that included some photos as well. But it's interesting to see this article from way back in '68.

I almost never buy MA magazines anymore (except for KFM when I come across it, of course ), but bought this one just because of this article. Back then, it was obvious the TKD practice was still a lot closer to its Shotokan/karate roots, and was literally "Korean karate" but with more of a killer attitude. There was still an emphasis on developing strong, solid basics and all of the body's striking weapons, not just fancy kicks. Completely different from the Olympic TKD of today.

[sanjuro_ronin]

I was browsing at a Barnes & Noble, and in the June/July issue of Black Belt magazine, with Bruce Lee in the cover, is a reprint of an article from November 1968 titled Roar of the Tiger, about the S. Korean Tiger Division in Vietnam. It's long been known they were some true bad@sses and greatly feared among the VC, Taekwondo being only one of those reasons.

On page 65 is a group photo, and the man standing 3rd from the right (and not named) is none other than Hwang Jang Lee, who later starred in innumerable kung fu movies (usually as the villain), including, most famously, with Jackie Chan in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master. Black Belt magazine did a feature article on Hwang back in 1983 which mentioned his Tiger Division (and movie) experiences that included some photos as well. But it's interesting to see this article from way back in '68.

I almost never buy MA magazines anymore (except for KFM when I come across it, of course ), but bought this one just because of this article. Back then, it was obvious the TKD practice was still a lot closer to its Shotokan/karate roots, and was literally "Korean karate" but with more of a killer attitude. There was still an emphasis on developing strong, solid basics and all of the body's striking weapons, not just fancy kicks. Completely different from the Olympic TKD of today.

There is a book, The Killing Art, that details the history of TKD.
Good read and lots of true stuff about the internal politics of TKD.

[Jimbo]

There is a book, The Killing Art, that details the history of TKD.
Good read and lots of true stuff about the internal politics of TKD.

Very true. I read that book when it came out. I should probably pull it out and read through it again.

[GeneChing]

So they dropped the F? That makes me a little sad.

World Taekwondo Federation changes name over 'negative connotations'


World Taekwondo president Choue Chung-won (centre) and delegates pose for a photo before the 2017 World Taekwondo championships in South Korea

World Taekwondo Championships
Dates: 24-30 June Venue: Muju, South Korea
Coverage: BBC Red Button from Tuesday, 27 June
The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) has changed its name to World Taekwondo because of the "negative connotations" associated with its initials.

The organisation had used the previous name since it was established in 1973.

However, it felt in the "digital age" the slang of the old abbreviation was "unrelated to our organisation and so it was important that we rebranded to better engage with our fans".

The change was made before the start of the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships.

The event is taking place in Muju, South Korea.

"World Taekwondo is distinctive and simple to understand and reinforces the global nature of our sport," said World Taekwondo president Choue Chung-won.

"Our vision is taekwondo for all and as World Taekwondo we are confident we can build on our success to date and achieve that vision."

[GeneChing]

Sanda vs. TKD

Martial arts champion couple get into fight, husband ends it by swallowing wife's gold medal
BY SHANGHAIIST IN NEWS ON OCT 30, 2017 10:40 PM



Recently, a man arrived at a Xi'an hospital complaining of some chest pain, which was alleviated after doctors removed a gold medal, three centimeters in diameter, from his esophagus.
Afterward, the man explained how exactly the medal got to be there in the first place. He said that he is a Sanshou (散打) champion while his wife is a champion of Taekwondo. One night, they got into a fierce argument. After his wife smashed his trophy, he took revenge by swallowing hers.
When asked about why they didn't simply work out there differences by actually fighting, the husband answered, matter of factly, that if they fought the entire house would have been destroyed.
You can watch a Chinese news report about the incident below:

On Weibo, one online commenter pointed out that since they were both professionals, if they really did fight each other, then perhaps their problems would have been solved, because at least one of them would have ended up dead.
By Alex Tang
[Images via ChinaNews]

The vid is embedded so I couldn't c&p it easily

[GeneChing]

This article feels like the author processing a photogenic loss. I can relate. Writing is a natural place to process (I do it all the time - case & point: my post-TCEC blogs).

AIN'T THAT A KICK IN THE HEAD
What an unexpected kick in the face taught me about humility
By Roshan Bharwaney 2 hours ago
Executive development


REUTERS/ISSEI KATO
This happens to everyone, though usually it’s metaphorical.

For more than a decade, I’ve worked helping to develop thousands of leaders from around the world at programs I have run or sponsored. In that role, I am constantly learning and forced to evolve so that I can best serve my audience. My other pursuit, one that also keeps me on my toes (quite literally), is Taekwondo.

I have been practicing Taekwondo for almost 18 years and have been an instructor for about 15. Taekwondo, the Korean art of kicking and punching, is one of the world’s most popular martial arts as measured by number of practitioners. It has been an Olympic sport since 2000 and is best known for its high kicks. I have a fourth-degree, master-rank black belt.

Recently, myself and several other black-belts were asked to spar with students as part of their test to achieve black belts themselves. I was sparring one of the candidates, Frank. Frank is less experienced than I am, he’s shorter, and he had been performing other test requirements prior to our match that were exhausting and challenging. Under these conditions, it is very unlikely for a candidate to score a headshot on a taller and more experienced opponent. For the first two minutes, it had been a largely one-sided match, as is normally the case when a candidate is testing for their black belt.

And then, in front of our entire class and head instructor, I was kicked in the face by Frank. This moment also happened to be captured on camera:


COURTESY OF MICHAEL GRITZBACH
Immortalized forever.

I wasn’t going easy on him and, after the successful strike, both he and the audience erupted in excitement. In that moment, it was as though Frank won by knockout. This was a David and Goliath moment—and it wasn’t pleasant being Goliath. I was surprised and in disbelief.

After the test, I began reflecting on ego and humility. I thought about moments that humble us in our professional careers. In speeches given by many award winners and newly appointed CEOs, they say they are “humbled” by the award or appointment. The phrase has now been used so many times in acceptance speeches that it’s become almost obligatory, but do they really mean they’re “humbled?”

Humility refers to being free of pride or arrogance. People who use the phrase probably mean they feel they don’t deserve the win or appointment, but is that really the case? If they strongly believed that, would they not decline the award or promotion? Maybe they are using the phrase so they appear humble, but to say they feel honored is probably more accurate. What they’re experiencing in that moment is quite different from being kicked in the face.

Failure in front of subordinates is potentially embarrassing and our psychological defense mechanisms may activate to protect our ego, as in my case of the initial disbelief at getting kicked in the face. If I view Frank’s successful strike as a lucky shot instead of resulting from his own skill and merit or my poor preparation and focus, I close myself off from the learning opportunity.

If I had told Frank and the audience after the match that I let him score on me (which wasn’t the case), that would protect my own views of my ability and maintain the difference in hierarchy we have. But the negative effects would be to reduce his sense of accomplishment and diminish the appreciation that the audience had for him. I, too, would miss out on the opportunity to reflect on my own vulnerabilities and ego.

Experiencing failure helps us remain humble if we have the courage to reflect on the learnings instead of explaining away or making excuses for the failure. Accepting failure and remaining humble also helps keep us resilient and willing to take risks.

In the workplace, kicks to the face will come and many of us avoid them to our peril. Upon discovering a mistake in a presentation, how many of us stay silent in the hopes that no one discovers the error? Instead, it’s better for the team and work itself if we speak up and confess the error and correct it. How many times have you been in a meeting when someone uses a term you don’t know? Rather than admitting ignorance, most of us stay in the dark and miss out on the opportunity to learn and contribute to the discussion.

Mistakes will happen. You’ll be late to a meeting. You’ll call a client the wrong name. You’ll transpose numbers in a spreadsheet. You’ll have no idea what that funny acronym means. These things happen. Rather than pretend you’re immune to these human failings, why not accept the kicks to the face as inevitable? Solutions will come more quickly. Errors will be corrected on the spot. Staying humble means that you will be someone who cares more about the work than your ego. Successful leaders are resilient in times of adversity and often have histories of major successes and failures that they have learned from.

After the belt test, Frank and I gave each other a big hug. During the match, in that embrace, and at all times, we engage as equals. The rest of the team, who viewed the match, didn’t shun or look down on me. Even though I am a Taekwondo black-belt, I know I don’t have to act or be perfect. I believe I am there to help others and I want others to feel I am there to help. I’ve learned that this brings appreciation and trust. I believe I am also refining my abilities and knowledge, that there are always more things to learn and ways to keep growing.

One of my Taekwondo instructors once told me to never think of myself as a master or that I have nothing more to learn from others because, if I do, that is the end of my learning and growth. If we cease to be reflective and humble, we risk stagnating and diminishing. I have the good fortune of participating in a sport that helps keep me humble.

It’s not the first time and probably won’t be the last time I’m hit in the head—and that’s not a bad thing.

Roshan Bharwaney has worked on executive development at WPP, the world’s largest advertising group, for the past 13 years and has written a book about teaching Taekwondo.

[GeneChing]

This is one of the great contributions that martial arts gives to the world. It crosses borders and unifies.

Koreas to be united by traditional martial art of taekwondo -- again
2018-01-17 23:44
Normal FontLarge Font
SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Yonhap) -- The Korean martial art of taekwondo brought the divided Koreas together, if only briefly, south of the tense border last summer.

And it will do so again at the tail end of winter, during the Feb. 9-25 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

North Korea agreed Wednesday to send a taekwondo demonstration team of about 30 to PyeongChang, 180 kilometers east of Seoul. The team will give performances in both PyeongChang and Seoul during its stay. The two sides will decide on a specific schedule later.



In this file photo taken June 24, 2017, South Korean President Moon Jae-in (fourth from L, back row) poses with taekwondo demonstrators from South Korea and North Korea after the opening ceremony of the World Taekwondo (WT) World Taekwondo Championships at T1 Arena in Muju, North Jeolla Province. (Yonhap)


Last June, during the World Taekwondo (WT) World Championships in Muju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul, North Korea sent a demonstration team for a total of four performances, including during the opening ceremony of the world championships. The taekwondo practitioners from the North belonged to the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF), a separate taekwondo entity from the WT.

The WT and the ITF have different sets of rules, and the WT is the only taekwondo body recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). But that hasn't prevented the two organizations from making efforts to work together.

Most notably, they signed a landmark agreement in August 2014, titled "Protocol of Accord," which outlined areas of mutual cooperation. And ITF sent its delegation to Muju last summer to honor the agreement. It was the first instance of inter-Korean sports exchange under the new Moon Jae-in administration in the South.

During the ITF team's visit, Moon called on North Korea to participate in the PyeongChang Olympics and expressed his hope for a joint Korean team.

The WT was scheduled to pay a reciprocal visit to Pyongyang in September but the trip never materialized, amid a series of North Korean military provocations.

The North's nuclear test and missile launches also threatened to derail plans for a joint taekwondo demonstration by the WT and the ITF during the PyeongChang Olympics. But the mood changed for the better at the turn of the year, after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un offered to send an athletic delegation to PyeongChang in his New Year's message.

The two Koreas met eight days later, exchanging ideas on North Korean athletes' participation and also on visits by taekwondo practitioners and an art troupe.

On Wednesday, they settled on the size of the taekwondo team, which will be tasked with bringing the Koreas closer.



In this file photo taken June 24, 2017, taekwondo demonstrators from North Korea break bricks during the opening ceremony of the World Taekwondo (WT) World Taekwondo Championships at T1 Arena in Muju, North Jeolla Province. (Yonhap)

jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)

Thread: Winter Olympics
Thread: Taekwondo

[Marie_Flowers88]

It is a GREAT SPORT to do but it is not great for self-defense